When the boys in the Sateré-Mawé tribe turn 13, they have to go into the jungle and find bullet ants to use for the ceremony. The tribe leader then puts the ants into a herbal solution, which temporarily sedates them but then ends up making them very mad. The boys have to put on a glove with bullet ants in it, and they have to keep their hand in for 10 minutes. The pain is supposed to prepare the boys for life and "manhood". They have to wear this glove 20 times over the course of a few months and can't show any pain or weakness. If the boy can't keep the glove on without crying, then they won't be able to "become a man". The day they can wear it without showing weakness is when they "become a man". Although this ritual is nothing like anything we usually see happening around here, I do feel like there is somewhat of a connection. When boys reach a certain age it seems like its almost expected for them to be "manly" and tough, and thats what this ritual is demonstrating.
Works Cited
"Getting Stung by Bullet Ants, a Painful Initiation Ritual | Oddity Central - Collecting Oddities." Oddity Central Collecting Oddities. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Sept. 2014.
"The World's Coolest Coming Of Age Traditions." All That Is Interesting. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Sept. 2014.
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